Poems (Hooper)/The Two Angels

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4652222Poems — The Two AngelsLucy Hamilton Hooper
THE TWO ANGELS.
O kennst du, Herz, die beiden Schwesterengel.

Know'st thou, O heart, the two fair sister angels
That unto us descend from realms above?
One with the lily branch, benignant Friendship,
The other, crowned with roses, witching Love.

Dark locked is Love, and radiantly glowing,
Fair as the Spring when blossoms burst to light;
Friendship, blonde tressed in softest colors blooming,
And mild and tranquil as a summer's night.

Love is a restless sea, amid whose tumult
Wave upon wave rolls ever to the shore;
Friendship, a mountain lake whose deep, clear waters
Give back the face of heaven evermore.

Love breaks upon us like a flash of lightning;
Like moonlight Friendship stealeth gently in:
Love ever craveth conquest and possession;
Friendship doth give, nor seeks return to win.

Thrice happy and thrice fortunate the bosom
Where in a friendly union both abide,
And where in bright and mystic beauty mingled
The rose and lily blossom side by side.
Geibel.